It might have taken some convincing, but the media ban has been lifted by owner Charlie Riccio as his exciting chaser, Total Media Ban, prepares to jump a warm favourite for the 2023 Pop Northfield Memorial Maiden final at Casino on Friday.
“I’m the most superstitious bloke I know and that’s why I called him total media ban, I don’t worry about others and I don’t want them to worry about me or him,” Riccio laughed.
The 66-year-old nonetheless excited by the potential his youngster has flashed since joining the Julie King kennel in the state’s north, with Total Media Ban clocking the fastest heat time of 23.21.
“The dog does go alright. We were originally setting him for the Zoom Top Maiden at Goulburn but I’m unsure he would have been able to go with the winner Zipping Caleb. So I sent him up to Julie and she’s done a wonderful job so far,” Riccio said.
“I wouldn’t say he’s brilliant yet, but I think he’ll be better suited when he gets over 500m or more. The heat win was pretty sharp but I bet I get him beat now I've talked him up."
Riccio also keen to pump up the tyres of the litter brother, Puppeteer.
“I think Puppeteer might end up being the better of the two dogs. He went 29.46 ran at Gosford on Tuesday and got beaten by Tootsie Tears, now he has to take on Zipping Megatron on Saturday. Jason Magri [trainer of Zipping Megatron] is in form too, he could get me home at the moment and I can’t get out of a slow walk,” Riccio chuckled.
The lineage of Total Media Ban and Puppeteer also a point of interest for the “connoisseur of the breeding industry.”
“They are home bred dogs. Their father, Mr Pupparazzi, is a son of Djays Octane who was a leading stud dog in America,” Riccio said.
Total Media Plan in full flight on debut at Casino
“Djays Octane won the sires premiership in America six years in a row or something and that was better than Kelsos Fusileer. But Kelsos Fusileer sired Fernando Bale here in Australia, who is as good a dog as I’ve ever seen and is a super sire, so it makes it hard to argue who won out there.”
“But Mr Pupparazzi was a fast dog. He won a heat of the Vic Peters Classic in 29.66 and beat the eventual winner [Crash Bandicoot] by eight lengths or so. He made the final of the SA Derby and he won a heat of the Silver Chief, so he could run.”
“And I bought the mother [Gone By Noon] at the Richmond Puppy Auction. She ran 29.6 at Dapto, she went 29.9 at Wenty Park, and she only had about 16 starts and was unplaced three times from memory.”
Total Media Ban jumps from Box 3 in Friday night’s $10,000-to-the winner decider.
Father-son team Reg and Craig Gardoll also have a strong hand in the race with Indefatigable (Box 5), Lil Miss Miles (6) and Son Of Sennachie (8) all winning their respective heats to qualify for the final.
“Me and Craig work as a team and if I didn't have him here, I couldn’t do them. He does most of the work at home and I do a lot of the travel, but he’s coming this week as he wants to be in the limelight," Reg said.
“There wouldn’t be a struck match between Lil Miss Miles and Son Of Sennachie. My little bitch [Indefatigable] is a bit behind them and it’s very difficult when you’re boxed in the middle, but she’s a good little beginner so she’ll put herself in the race. And Son of Sennachie might be the best boxed of ours. He got a little bit wide last week so the pink suit him.”
Son Of Sennachie out of Kingsbrae Missy, the same mother who produced the 2019 race winner for Gardoll in Profit Plan.
“The wife owned Profit Plan and she’s been trying to tell me all week that she’ll win another one this week,” Gardoll said.
“But it’s harder than that. Dave Irwin and Evelyn Harris and a lot of the finalists have been around the Northern Rivers for years and they’re all smart cookies. But I think Total Media Ban could turn into nice dog in time so he’d be hardest to beat.”
“And Pop Northfield was before my time but the Northfield family is an institution in the area and they should keep this race and name around forever. Some of these old fellas were icons in their days and we always enjoy racing in their honour,” he added.
